Lincoln's Big Boy Room

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If you follow me on social media you may remember that I asked for some advice a while back about transitioning Lincoln to his Big Boy Room so we could make the nursery available to baby brother when he arrived. The question was, do I...

  1. Leave the nursery as is (the simplest option) and give Lincoln a brand new theme/look for his big boy room?

  2. Change the theme in both rooms so both boys get to start with something fresh that is their own?

  3. Let Lincoln take his room 'theme' with him to the big boy room, and just give baby brother a new theme in the nursery?

I had so many great responses and lots of varying opinions and bits of advice. Honestly, I was leaning toward leaving the nursery exactly the same, since I felt that would be the simplest option. One person's comment really stood out to me though. She said, "Have you asked Lincoln what he wants?"  I couldn't help but laugh at myself a little in that moment. Of course I hadn't asked Lincoln! What a novel idea. Sometimes I think we get so consumed overthinking things that we forget the most logical solution. For a moment I hesitated, and wondered if my two year old would really be able to understand such an abstract concept. But I decided to ask anyway. I talked to him about the change that was coming (moving to the new, bigger room) and explained that baby brother would sleep in the nursery after he arrives. I also showed him pictures of various rooms with fun themes that I knew he'd love (construction site, airplanes, etc.) And guess what? Lincoln very clearly wanted to keep his room theme.

I invited him to come into the nursery and show me the things he wanted to take to his big boy room. He immediately identified his airplane, hot air balloons, and wooden ship as things that he would keep. He also picked up each of his books from the bins (one by one) and began running back and forth from the nursery to his new room, tossing them into a big pile. So that settled it!  Lincoln's Travel Inspired Nursery would become Lincoln's Big Boy room, with a few changes, of course.

I knew I wanted Lincoln to have a fun, bright, 'child-like' room. I feel like the current trend is to have children's rooms look like beautifully styled adult rooms, and I'm not going to lie - I love the trend. I was tempted to style Lincoln's room up the way I wanted it; white walls, cozy light neutrals, minimalist toys and furniture. But I felt that there had to be a middle ground; a room that would be fun and filled with things he loves and that he had a say in, without being so crazy and outside of my 'style' comfort zone that it stressed me out every time I walked in.  I think we did a good job of achieving a balance.

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Lincoln got to go with us to the paint counter and help select his paint color.  We ordered a few samples, put small paint swatches up on the wall, and let Lincoln pick his favorite.  The color he landed on was BEHR Ice Rink. That's how this bright, happy blue made it's way into our otherwise neutral-toned home!

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He also selected the artwork featured above his dresser. These lovely prints from Long and Found are so much fun. They had a set of cars and airplanes, and it was so difficult to choose one or the other that we decided to mix them up. I pulled up photos of the choices on our computer and let Lincoln choose his favorites, and that's how we landed on these four.

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Lincoln's most-loved space in the room is his little reading corner. We spend so much time here, not just before nap/bedtime but throughout the day. He loves to cozy up in his rocking chair or snuggle on his incredibly soft rug from Lorena Canals with Oliver while reading a book, or twenty.

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There are a few cherished pieces that make Lincoln's Big Boy Room extra special. He has a wooden ship with an inscription from his great grandparents (a gift from my dad) that he adores. It’s such a special way to incorporate them into his space.

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This kid-sized airplane rocking chair is another favorite item of his. One of the big challenges with transitioning Lincoln from the nursery to his new room was not having the glider where we read and rocked every night for two years. This piece not only fits his bedroom theme perfectly, but it helped with that tricky transition since Lincoln now has his own “big boy” rocking chair. This was a gift from my grandparents, Lincoln’s Great Oma and Opa, and he frequently refers to them when he uses it.

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This antique biplane was a gift from Lincoln’s grandma and was part of his nursery decor. It was one of the first things he grabbed when I asked him what items he wanted to take with him to his big boy room.

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The hot air balloons were made by my sister-in-law, Lincoln’s auntie, for my baby shower when Lincoln was still tucked away in my belly. I love that they were utilized in his nursery and that he was adamant about having them in his new room, too. I know she put a lot of work into them and they are certainly well-loved!

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What might be the most interesting part of Lincoln’s room is his bed! He day-dreamed this ‘fort bed’ up with his grandpa one day, and even got to help him build it from scratch. It is HUGE and I was admittedly against the idea at first, but it has turned out to be such a fun, special part of Lincoln’s room and I am so grateful for the time, effort, and resources my dad put into creating this special piece for Lincoln. Although it has the option for a mattress both on top and bottom, Lincoln likes to sleep on the bottom and use the top as a play place. This awesome, padded car mat fits perfectly on top and he keeps some (read: 495,738,957) of his favorite vehicles up there to play with.

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I'm really happy with my big boy's special space, but mostly I am happy that he so adores it. Even with it's bright, bold colors, it's still the perfect balance of peaceful and playful. Between reading together in his reading corner or snuggling up to sing songs and chat about our day in his bed, the moments this space offers us as a family are beyond treasured. We love Lincoln's Big Boy Room.

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toddler bedroom, travel theme toddler room, car room, airplane room, hot air balloon, kid bedroom, kids reading corner, kids reading nook, Child’s bedroom, kids bedroom, toddler boy room
toddler bedroom, travel theme toddler room, car room, airplane room, hot air balloon, kid bedroom, kids reading corner, kids reading nook, Child’s bedroom, kids bedroom, toddler boy room
toddler bedroom, travel theme toddler room, car room, airplane room, hot air balloon, kid bedroom, kids reading corner, kids reading nook, Child’s bedroom, kids bedroom, toddler boy room
toddler bedroom, travel theme toddler room, car room, airplane room, hot air balloon, kid bedroom, kids reading corner, kids reading nook, Child’s bedroom, kids bedroom, toddler boy room

Paint Color: Behr Ice Rink
Car/Airplane Artwork: Long and Found
Reading Corner Rug: Lorena Canals
Wall Book Shelves: IKEA
Bedding: Pottery Barn Kids
String Lights: Amazon, similar here
Car mat: Amazon

Motherhood, Home Sweet HomeJanet AndersenComment